Top Game Design Press Release

The Princeton Review Ranks Top 50 Undergrad & Top 25 Grad Schools to Study Game Design for 2016

U-Utah is #1 Undergrad and U-Central Florida #1 Grad School

NEW YORK, March 15, 2016 —The Princeton Reviewtoday released its seventh annual ranking lists naming the best undergraduate and graduate schools for students to study—and launch a career in—game design.

The University of Utah captured the #1 spot on the undergraduate schools list (up from #2 in 2015). The University of Central Florida ranked #1 on the graduate schools list (also up from #2 last year).

The full lists, which name the "Top 50" undergraduate and "Top 25" graduate schools, are posted at Top Schools for Game Design 2016. There, users can also get information on The Princeton Review's methodology for this project and its detailed profiles of the schools with guidance for applicants on their programs, admission requirements, and financial aid.

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on its 2015 survey of 150 institutions in the U.S., Canada and abroad offering game design degree programs or courses. The 40-question survey gathered data on everything from the schools' game design academic offerings and lab facilities to their graduates’ starting salaries and career achievements. More than 40 data points in four areas (academics, faculty, technology, and career) were analyzed to tally the lists.

"For students aspiring to work in game design, the 58 schools that made one or both of our 2016 lists offer extraordinary opportunities to learn and to hone one's talents for a successful career in this burgeoning field," said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's Senior VP-Publisher. "The faculties at these schools are outstanding. Their facilities are awesome. And their alumni include legions of the industry's most prominent game designers, developers, artists, and entrepreneurs."

Undergrad and grad students enrolled in the schools that made the lists also gain valuable professional experience while in school. According to The Princeton Review's 2015 survey of administrators at the schools, about 85% of their ugrad and/or grad game design students that graduated in their 2015 classes developed actionable plans to launch games while in school. Moreover, 49% of undergrads and 59% of grad students at these school programs worked on games that were shipped before they graduated.

The Princeton Review has reported its game design program rankings annually since 2010. It has teamed up with PC Gamer, a monthly magazine published by Future plc, as its reporting partner on this project since 2013. PC Gamer' s May issue has a feature on the ranking lists that details the schools' unique programs, prominent professors, and alumni. The issue lands in subscriber mailboxes this week and on newsstands March 29th.

The "Top 25" schools on The Princeton Review list, "Top 50 Undergraduate Schools to Study Game Design for 2016," are:

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The Princeton Review is headquartered in Natick, MA and is an operating business of Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH). For more information, visit The Princeton Review. Follow the company on Twitter @ThePrincetonRev.

About Future plc

Future plc is an international media group and leading digital business, listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). Future has operations in the UK, US and Australia creating publications, apps, websites and events. Future holds market-leading positions in Technology, Games, Music, Film, Photography and the Creative & Design sector. Future attracts more than 50 million monthly users globally to our websites, which include techradar.com, GamesRadar.com and musicradar.com. Future sold more than 14 million magazines last year. Our most well-known brands include T3, Total Film, Edge, MacFormat and Xbox: The Official Magazine. Future, and its portfolio, reaches over 84 million people on social media. Future has over 200 licensing & syndication agreements in 89 countries worldwide, and exports over 55 titles.

Note to Editors:

The Princeton Review's Robert Franek, Senior VP-Publisher, or David Soto, Director of Content Development, is available for interviews. Reporter resources including lists of ranked schools two ways (alphabetical by country/state/city/school and alphabetical by school), and information on the survey methodology are available below.

The University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX (Ugrad #11, Grad #9)

University of Tulsa / Tulsa, OK (Ugrad #48)

University of Utah / Salt Lake City, UT (Ugrad #1, Grad #3)

University of Wisconsin-Stout / Menomonie, WI (Ugrad #21, Grad #16)

Vancouver Film School / Vancouver, British Columbia (Ugrad #14)

Western University / London, Ontario (Ugrad #44)

Game Design Survey Methodology

The Princeton Review chose the schools for its 2016 list based on a survey it conducted in 2015 of administrators at 150 institutions offering game design coursework and/or degrees in the United States, Canada and some countries abroad.

The selection and ranking of schools was based on criteria that broadly covered the quality of the faculty, facilities and technology. The Princeton Review also factored in data it collected from the schools on their curriculum and career services.

The Princeton Review developed the survey in 2009 with the assistance of an advisory board the company formed for this project. Advisory board members included faculty at top institutions offering game design courses and professionals at leading companies in the gaming industry. The survey, which has more than 40 questions, covers a wide range of topics, from academics and faculty credentials to graduates' employment and career achievements. Some of the survey questions asked of each school are below.

Academics

What game design-related courses do you offer for undergraduates?

Does the school offer a game design center where students can engage in the study and or practice of game design?

The number of gaming-related courses available to students.

Whether the school hosts an annual gaming competition, showcase or symposium.

What game design-relevant skills does your program teach?

Does your gaming program use a team-driven approach? If yes, in that team are students paired with other students from different disciplines?

Is it a requirement for students in your program to have created a functional game before graduating?

How many game design students developed an actionable plan to launch a functional game while at school?

The number of research opportunities available to students.

Faculty

What percentage of your total undergraduate gaming faculty have started, run or worked for a game studio?